A few notes on my morning
1. About two weeks ago, I finally decided to give into the nagging message that kept popping up on my computer, telling me I needed to restart in order for the latest Windows update to take effect. I restarted the computer, and it never stopped. Just couldn't load Windows after that, not even in Safe Mode.
Thursday, I left the laptop with a computer repair guy. After a few hours, I get a call: Yes, my computer is dead. He can either reinstall windows and it should work again just fine, but it'll cost me $75 an hour and will take somewhere between 3 and 4 hours. Or, he can just extract my files for me, which will take 1-2 hours, same rate.
Yesterday, I decided that I couldn't really justify spending a few hundred dollars on a nearly four year old laptop that has never really served me that well. So, I said just get my files and be done with it.
(I'm actually not sure it was even really worth getting all my files, but I do have a lot of mp3s on there I'd like to get back and re-downloading all of them would cost a few hundred dollars, and more importantly, I have lots of baby DJ pictures on there.)
Today, I am using Jesse's laptop and contemplating my options. (A laptop with buggy Windows Vista? an overpriced and overly proprietary Mac?) I think I am going to wait this one out for a bit.
2. We are down to two or three squares of toilet paper. I know it's just around the corner, but I really don't feel like getting dressed and going to the store right now.
Life is so hard.
2 Comments:
I'm going to recommend the mac. I have an old PC tower desktop and a smart little mac ibook. The mac is great, easy to use, works well. The new ones come with intel chips and the ability to run windows if you so choose. If you buy their service plan you don't have to worry about this happening for another 3 years. Its easy to get them fixed. And if you use it mostly for music and picture storage, they are perfect for that. Just my two cents ;)
I feel for you with regard to your computer issue. I, myself have a PC repair business here in Dallas (http://www.factorythree.com/pc_services), and the rates that you were quoted where fair and the same as I would quote. The problem with your situation and the steps you have decided to take should be heavily weighed. Replacing a laptop isn't always the best answer and even more complicated with the release of Vista and forcing of you to have to adopt the platform. If your machine is currently running XP, has 512 MB of RAM and has a centrino chip, it should be rebuilt. These machines are workhorses and should have a lifespan of about 7 years if tuned properly.
Furthermore, placing a "down" laptop still requires you to spend the same amount of money your PC quoted you to have you tune it up so that it runs properly. The life of a new laptop, without a professional tuning it up, is about 4 months until you are right back where you are now with the old laptop.
I support both Apple and Windows platforms, so like the other reader suggested, you could move to their platform and solve some of these issues, but don't be fool by an apple lover's criticism, or the commercials, there are just as many problems with a mac; they break down just as much as a PC; they cost twice as much to fix. And if you think that I myself am being critical, go to you local Apple store and take a look at how long the line and waiting period is at the "Genius Bar".
It really should be called Idiot Bar .
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